Sitting here in the truck at Werribee waiting to watch the trot up makes me ponder on what a year it's been and what will happen next. This will be our last run before d -day, where the shadow team nervously awaits the dreaded phone call as to whether we have made it or not.
It has been a long campaign for everyone involved and I get the feeling from all the riders that whether we make it or not, we will be glad when it's over … as one squad rider said to me, ‘so we can move on’. It has been a great experience but it's true and for me it's the ‘not having a house built’ as the money and time we have put into this campaign is enormous.
For anyone who has been on a campaign like this you will know all the stresses involved. Most of us have been planning in one way or another for years to make it to London on a particular horse. Mine started six years ago when Julia McLean and John Glenn approached me to ride Algebra and even then I had an idea in my head that we would be training him for ‘that’ event. For a start you have to give your horse enough miles and experience to get here on time, hence running at the Adelaide four star two years ago. Although we were a bit green at the time, the experience helped us gain a tightly contested fourth place last year which put us on the elite squad and in the running for the games.
Then you have to keep your horse sound. That is the hard part, as you need to do the miles but not over run your horse at the same time. It is heart wrenching putting so much work in to have the horse not quite make it and you are forever telling non horsey people why you can't just ride another horse at the games. I remember only too well with Billy Bathgate (my former top horse) breaking down before Sydney and am feeling for Stuart at the moment with Panemera not making it, although he is still in the running with Pluto.
Waiting to start Sydney
Then there is this year's campaign. You are never quite sure what to do next. I chose to go to New Zealand which was a great experience, but the track was huge and although we finished third, we did have a run off. Maybe I should have played the safer option and done Albury … the plane trip and team win may or may not have done us any favours. We then had to back up for Sydney Three Day Event which for us we went ok but we only managed eighth. Was that good enough and again I was left thinking what to do next. At the time, I didn't want to do another three day event as even though Algebra is very sound, he is 13 and it doesn't last forever. So I chose to do the Equestriad event at Camden before I knew they were running a CNC3* event here in Melbourne. In hindsight I wished I hadn’t done Camden CIC3* as he (Algebra) probably needed a soft run to get his brain back into gear. But when you are on a campaign you have to give it your all and hopefully pull it off.
Anyway, Werribee will, I’m sure, be a great event. Some of us have chosen to do the CCI*** and others the CNC special event ... Which one will play more weight in the selectors minds .... Ahhh who knows. At the moment it is up to the gods (who in this case are the selectors). They are a secretive bunch and haven't given us any hints as to who is in or out. That will come in a few weeks time... till then the nail biting continues!!!
